Who is Tim Ryan, the latest 2020 Democrat running for president?

By Camilo Montoya-Galvez

April 4, 2019 / 2:00 PM
/ CBS News

Rep. Tim Ryan announces 2020 run

Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan, a nine-term legislator who gained notoriety for his unsuccessful leadership challenge against Nancy Pelosi, launched a bid for the Democratic presidential nomination Thursday, joining one of the largest primary fields in U.S. history.

Here's everything you need to know about the latest candidate to enter the crowded and diverse Democratic primary race:

Biography

Ryan was born and raised in northeastern Ohio in 1973. He played football in high school and was recruited to play for Youngstown State University. Because of a knee injury, however, he transferred to Bowling Green State University, near Toledo. After graduating from college, Ryan earned a J.D. from the University of New Hampshire and worked in the office of longtime Ohio Congressman James Traficant, who was expelled from the House after being convicted of numerous counts of tax evasion, bribery and racketeering.

At age 26, Ryan was elected to Ohio's state senate. When his old boss Traficant became embroiled in scandal, Ryan ran an underdog campaign to fill his seat and won. At 29, he was the youngest member of Congress when he was sworn in 2003.

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Although he has served eight terms in the House, Ryan gained notoriety following Mr. Trump's election in November 2016. Citing Democrats' loss of Midwestern states during the election -- as well as the lack of youth in the party's leadership -- Ryan launched an unsuccessful bid to replace Nancy Pelosi, then House Minority Leader. After Democrats retook control of the House during the 2018 November midterm elections, the Ohio lawmaker again called for someone to replace Pelosi. Ryan, however, ultimately backed her bid to reclaim the speaker's gavel.

Issues

Ryan has not staked out a clear ideological agenda during his 15 years in Congress. He is not a member of any of the major Democratic caucuses in the House, like the pro-business New Democrat Coalition or the Congressional Progressive Caucus. He once earned an "A" rating from the National Rife Association (NRA) and has broken with his party to support fracking measures favored by Republicans. But Ryan has also been supportive of progressive proposals like "Medicare for all."

Controversy

Ryan's tenure in Congress has largely been scandal-free, but his repeated challenges to Pelosi's leadership may alienate some Democratic primary voters.

What Trump says

Although Ryan has been a fierce critic of the president, Mr. Trump has not yet tweeted about the Ohio congressman.